Orchids that SULK
 

Hi everybody
Been growing orchids for about 10 years now,so I know a little bit about them,
Can anybody explain to me why some orchids of the same genre,same media,same fertilizing and watering regime along side of one another in the same shadehouse,some grow like crazy and the others do nothing and I am talking months if not years,the only thing that might be different is pot size.
I am mainly talking about Australian speciosums in my case but I suppose it could apply to all genre.
Anybody got any ideas :waving
Paul

Well there are differences in microclimates in your growing area which would explain for the differences in growth patterns. It can also be the fact that there are some varieties or clones that simply grow differently from others.

Because they can!

Baz

Some plants will do that if you repot them at an incorrect time. "Correct" being just as new growths are forming with their just-emerging new roots.

Moving them into a different root zone environment can render the existing roots less-than-optimal, putting the plant into a bit of a state of shock, as it cannot procure food and water as efficiently as it could. When the new root system gets big enough, it recovers and carries on.

That's why I like to apply several Dorsey's in a row of KelpMax when I repot, to stimulate that new root growth.


Ray Barkalow
firstrays.com

I have several plants of the same variety, in the same pot, in the same media, repotted the same time, sitting in the same environment.

Back in July 2014, I de-flasked a B.nodosa hybrid. I put the smallest plants, in a compot, 3 seedlings per compot. I have five compots in this configuration. @ least one seedling grows larger than the others. If these little seedlings' roots wouldn't set back, I would have re-potted the larger ones together.

So this informs me, even in a flask and compot environment, not all plants can display the same vigor or ability to grow on par with siblings in the same pot!

Oh, if I have a sulker, especially if it is taking up too much space ... it gets booted out ... I kick it's butt to the curve ... well not literally but you know what I mean. They usually get such a fright, it forces them to do something.

Virus can cause a plant not to thrive but genetics, too, can do it. Some plants are just naturally more vigorous than others.
And...some clones, will grow at different rates, likely because of the genes that are turned on or off as they adapt to getting the nutrients that they need. Being living things, every plant is unique, even if they originally start out as clones. You see this with cuttings. You take them from the same plant, they are the same size, cut the same way. You pot them up the same way, same amount of rooting hormone. They will root at different rates and grow at different speeds. Some will even fail to root and some will be more prone to fungus.

Ray, what's a Dorsey? A unit of measure, or autocorrect gone wild?

I second what Matt said about seedlings. I have found the difference between the most vigorous growers and the runts to be dramatic - and often in the same compot.

Because they can!

Baz

A very informative post Baz,typical of one of my fellow Australians especially,they don`t like giving out their secrets.

I have a digbyana that was divided several years ago. One has 5 blooms working for this winter, the other has one yellow dried up sheath. They have both been grown the same and given all equal right to the light. I dont know the answer and if anyone did then growing plants wouldnt be growing them it would be raising them like children all perfect ladies and gentlemen. Most of us know that doesnt work either :bowing

maybe 1 plant got more roots hey? All I can think of.

And another reason why some grow 100's of plants and then start picken them off one by one till they down to the last few worthy perfectly grown plants. 1 out of 10,000 is more like the percentage of worthy plants.

( a lot of us end up with these plants that were picked thru and already determined were inferior dont ya know. thats why 90% of my collection is going into the trash this winter. its all crap.)